Laptop Bag Makeover!

I got this bag from a clothes swap I went to a while back and thought my laptop would fit perfectly in it but it was pretty ugly. It was black jean material that was faded in some places and had plaid on the inside, it looked preeeeeetty emo. (I forgot to take a before pic but you get the jist from this one)

So I gave it some color, ruffles, and pretty florals to make it more me!

First off I decided to bleach some spots. Remember the Jean Shorts Tutorial? I grabbed a few places, wrapped them up in rubber bands and dipped them in bleach.

I didn't bother diluting the bleach this time and it worked sooo much faster. In about 5 minutes they were the color I wanted so I stuck them in the wash for a quick clean.

Some black fabrics don't bleach to white, instead they turn orange so I was pleased that after the wash the color was gone. After that I added some ruffles and a flower to the flap. Flower tutorial found here.

And then I added a pen/pencil pocket. I just kind of winged it;

And there you have it, the finished project! Much better than before, I'm proud to carry this little treasure around (:

While searching for inspiration I found this cute little bag:

Source.

Also I made my first patchwork piece of art! It's just a little curtain to hide under my desk but I like the extra touch it gives to my craft station (not to mention hides all the junk under my desk!).

My daughter got a kitchen for her birthday, it's a perfect fit and now she can keep herself busy while I sew away!

In other news I have finished my first quilt! Woo, although I have decided quilting is definitely not my thing. All the cutting, sewing, math, ehhh, not that fun. I don't have that much patience and I think this will be the one and only quilt I will ever make.... unless it's a tiny baby one? Oh also one of my purses was featured in a Cheeetah treasury! Check it out!

Makeup Bag Tutorial

So we're going on a little road trip this weekend and I thought it was about time for a new makeup bag. My old one's kind of bleh and not really me so I decided to make one! I used this tutorial, at first I didn't think it would be big enough but I just went for it and turns out it fits all my makeup with room to spare!

I got a bit confused at some parts so here are some extra pics to lead you through if you get lost.

The pinching the corners kind of confused me so when it's laying flat with the bottom on top of the zipper I ironed the edges. Then when you pinch the corners what I did was match up the ironed crease with the sewn crease (you can kind of see it in the picture?)

I was really confused about where to sew the corners so I flattened them out and I measured the spot where it was 3" wide. I marked the edges and sewed across.

This is what it looks like after;

And then I tested out my new pinking rotary cutter, works like a charm!

This is to show the size in relation to real things.

Here where my other choices, just as cute;

1. Boxy Makeup Bag- with lining and interfacing

2. Perfect Box Pouch Tutorial- basically the same, it's too cute to leave out though!

And as dumb as this might sound, I could not for the life of me figure out how to change out my presser foot! I looked everywhere and finally found this Video. So very helpful and now sewing zippers is a piece of cake! 

Also remember the Towel/Bag Holder I posted about the other day? I made my own:

(I didn't want to make it too girly)

I have a ton more DIY projects coming up! Stay tuned.

DIY Ideas

So I can't find the memory card reader for my camera so I'll just have to do without pictures till I find it! Here are some things I want to make in the near future. I've really been trying to use up some of my scraps, I recently accumulated way too much fabric. I have like an overload and it makes me feel more overwhelmed than creative sooo tryin' to bust through my stash! Hope you find something you like!

Poppy Talk

Deco Bike?!

Scallop Bunting- Etsy

Scallop Bunting- Tutorial

Jewelry Frame

Ribboned Mirrors

Towel/Bag Holder

Partridge Ornament

Wrist Cuffs

List of Scrap busters!

I'm going out of town this weekend so I'll be out for a bit! In case I don't post again, enjoy your weekend! Summer's almost over!

Topshop and photography inspiration

I have fallin in love with... Top Shop. Inspiration much?

And Juliette Hogan? Looove the backdrop art.

I found her at two awesome blogs:

Liebemarlene

&

Rag Pony

 I've been having some debate about backdrops. Ehh?

source.

Also I've picked up a few more photography tips. This whole thing is a learning experiece and I just keep working and researching to find the perfect blend of lighting and what not. Here are some tricks I've picked up:

Party Bouncer

Video for positioning lights.

DIY Umbrella

I'm not sure if I've posted about this but it comes in handy every once in a while when the flash is too much and it's super easy, like ridiculously easy.

Poor Man's Ring Flash.

And I made something like this and I use it quite a bit.

Diy Softbox.

I made mine with those silver lights you can buy at a hardware store and some sheer fabric. It's helpful so I'm sharing it with you guys!

I've been making a bunch of stuff and when I finish I'll post about it all! Other than that I've got alot of stuff I plan on listing soon so keep your eyes peeled! Have a great week everyone!

Latest Photoshoot

I had a mini photoshoot the other day to photograph stuff I've had laying around for a while. I kind of had to drop out of the Etsy thing for a while because I've had so much else going on but I'm hoppin' back in! Here are some of my favorite pictures.

I've just been trying to catch up lately with everything, cleaning, organizing, homework. I also had a chance to go to a Cubs game the other day so that was cool. Oh I created a flickr account! One step closer to be organized, woop woop!

Birthday Tutorials Part 2

Ruffle Streamers:

Tutorial

I ended up making two of these, one with white and baby blue (above) and one with yellow and pink. I didn't end up using them because the day of the party got kind of hectic but these are sooo cute!

Eco-friendly favor bags:

I was looking for bags/a container that I didn't have to spend money on and I came up with these;

I used this tutorial on fusing plastic bags. 

But basically I got 3 plastic bags, fused them together, and trimmed the gross edges off. Then I cut them in half and each half I folded, and sewed up the bottom and side to make a bag! I filled them up with candy,

printed out thank you tabs and clipped them on with mini wood clothespins from Wal-Mart.

 I recycled  a lot of bags and even though no one seemed to notice/care, atleast I was being ecofriendly right?

Bottle Name Sign;

This one is pretty self explanatory. First you're going to need a bottle for each letter in the name you want to spell. Next fill up a sink/tub/container with hot water and for each two cups of water add about 2 tablespoons of baking soda (I just guestimated). This will remove the label. Let sit for 15-30 minutes and then one by one peel off the labels. There's going to be some residue left over but all you need to do is scrub a little with those green things or even a rag will do. It comes right off. Let bottles drip dry upside down, preferably overnight to make sure they dry thoroughly. 

Set up a spray painting station outside. I didn't have a drop cloth so I used a cut open trash bag.

And get to spray painting! I kind of stuck my finger in the bottle and held them up a little so I could get the whole thing. When you're done, make sure you set them on a flat surface and spray a little on the bottle opening before you're done. Then chose a color for the letters and carefully paint them on. It can be a little difficult since the surface is curved so beware!

Stick some flowers in and there you have it!

One more thing!

I made my wendy dress out of this:

It originally had ugly long sleeves but I shortened them. I didn't know what else to do and then decided how appropriate to add a peter pan collar?! Tutorial I used.

It didn't turn out perfect but I think it definitely added an extra somethin'.

Here are some other cute sites for birthday party inspiration:

1.

2.